As per a research report published by Mindler, a comprehensive career guidance and mapping platform used by both students and career coaches/ counsellors; Covid-19 will establish a new normal for the higher education sector and will further revolutionise the online education landscape. The objective of the research was to understand the implications of Covid-19 on student career choices, challenges faced by students and the viability of studying abroad at this time.
As per the key findings of the report, 63 per cent students feel that their initial career plans have been badly hit due to Covid-19, while 42 per cent students feel that they have been forced to reconsider their preferred career choices and are thinking of having a backup plan now. The ongoing pandemic has further triggered scepticism about travelling overseas. As per the analysis of the report, 78 per cent of students who were originally planning on studying at an overseas university are now likely to change their higher education plans.
The survey report further reveals that in order to make most of the time to improve their skills and learn a new one, 42 per cent of the students have opted for online certification courses, whereas 47 per cent of the students are utilising this time to prepare for their entrance exams.
The report further stressed on the fact that students are more concerned about how to pick a safe and promising career choice and, expressed their interest in having access to a career guidance helpline during these testing times. The research also records students wishing for an admission process through virtual channels.
Talking about the survey report, Prateek Bhargava, Founder and CEO, Mindler, a career planning platform for students, counsellors and schools, said, “In these unprecedented and uncertain times, student have been more restless than ever. The objective of this survey was to highlight their challenges and see how we can help them utilise this period in the best way possible. While the ongoing crisis will have a long lasting impact on every sector, for students and online education platforms, the need of the hour is to give them the right direction so that their career plans are not disrupted. The end goal for all stakeholders would be to make sure that the learning process continues.”
It was not surprising to learn, from the research, that over 57 per cent of the students said that dealing with confusion and uncertainty regarding their education plans was one of their biggest challenges during these testing times. Procrastination and time management were among the other leading challenges being faced by students.
With the Covid-19 pandemic impacting student’s career plans, the research highlighted that careers like medicine, life sciences and allied medicine were among the top 15 careers which students were looking at pursuing. The top five career choices of students include business management, computer applications and IT, entrepreneurship, medicine and design. The survey was attempted by over 45,000 students, of whom 56 per cent were girls and 44 per cent boys.